Cold bituminous paving composition



Patented Sept. 2 3, 1930 tmw STATES] NT F CB o soAn H. BERGER, or BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, ASSIGNOR T wit.- '2. McnoNALn consri'mcrron COMPANY, or FLUSHING, new YORK, A CORPORATIONOF NEW'YORK,

corn Birmvrmous ravine COMPOSITION No'Drawing. Application filed. July 13,

Thisinvention relatesto bituminous surfacing compositions and more particularly to such compositions that are prepared from asphaltio substan'ces, and'which can be readily handled and laid while cold.

An object of this invention is to provide improved compositions of the type described, and'a process of manufacture thereof whereby the same may be prepared and utilized in a convenient, efticient and economical man- -ner.-,

In its more'specific aspectsone of the objects of this invention is to provide a process and products of the type described which are particularly adapted foruse and incorporation inroad construction whereby the products, while possessing all of the good qualities inherent in the heretofore known bituminous paving mixtures, have additional ad- -2( vantageous characteristics.

Other objects of the invention will in part be'obvious and 'will inpart appear herein after. l p i jThe invention accordingly comprises the .25 several steps and the relation and order of one or more of such steps with respect to each of the others, and the products possessing the features, properties and the relation of constituents, which are exemplified in the 3'6 followingdetailed disclosure, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims. y s y 1 The present invention comprises an improvementin the process and the product disclosed in my copending application, Serial No. 51,717, filedjAugust 21, 1925, in which is described a bituminous mixture and a process of makingv the samewhich is of the cold-lay type but differs from cold lay mixtures known to theprior art, particularly'in that it is not an emulsion or a cut back. As pointed out in my said copending application, the asphalt cement is prepared by the use of a hard and relatively pure asphalt substance, as'for example, an asphalt containing about or over of bitumen, and having a penetration of from 0 to 3 or 4Eat 115'-F., grams, 5 seconds, and with the use of fluxing oils c-ontaininga higher persocentage of the morelvolatile oils than are p&

1927. Serial no. 205,533.

used in the usual. hot-mix practice, where, on account of the high temperaturesused, it 1s poss ble, with due regard to safety, to employ only fluxes ofthe oil residuum type hav-' ing low volatility and high flash points.

More specifically the asphalt substance whichis preferred is a native asphalt having the properties described, which is known as Cuban asphalt and which may be used without preliminary refining; and the flux- I mg agents preferred are: petroleums of the asphaltic, semi-asphaltic or parafline base pending application, the temperatures of fluxing should preferablysnot exceed a point which would cause any substantial loss of thelight volatile'elements of the'oil, ,as, for example, not over 200-250 F., and, when preparing sheet asphalt and/or asphaltic concrete mixtures, the aggregate may be heated slightly to facilitate mixing, as, for ex ample, to from 150200 F.

The said copending application also discloses that the ratio of the fluxing oils to the asphalt may range from approximately equal proportions of eachby weight, to as much as one-half again as much fluxing oil as asphalt, whereby an asphalt 'c'ement is obtained which has a consistency such that at F. it gives a float test of about 5 or 6 minutes, as compared to a float test of 25 or '30 minutes, required for the usual hotmix asphalt cement under the same conditions; that, whenemaking a sheet asphalt or asphaltic concrete mix, the asphalt cement thusprepared may be added to the aggregate in amounts of from 5% to 8% by weight;

that mixes so prepared may be laid cold and may be stored for extended periods of time without appreciable lumping; that the material removed when making service cuts inv a laid pavement may be rebroken and tamped' back into place; andthat a mixture so prepared is substantially unafiected'by adverse weather conditions, may be laid by unskilled labor, without theuse of hot tools'and rollers,

and-when laid and compressed produces a v long-lived and resilient pavement which will not become brittle in cold weather or soften in hot weather, and which may be Opened 7 I to trafic substantially immediately H after copending application, I have found that by ZOi rolling. V

In accordance with the present invention, which employs all of the novel and important features of the invention disclosed in my said employing certain additional steps or treatments, not only can thelife, workability, nonlumping and other desirable characteristics of the product previously produced be materially enhanced, but that also the ratio of the asphalt to the fluxing oils and the richness or percentage of asphalt cement in sheet asphalt and like m xes, can be increased without danger of lumping or'loss of life or. workability duringextended storage periods;

Consequently by the present invention the flexibility. of the-process is increased and the product maybe altered at the will of theoperator to meet even themore stringent requirements of long storage or to prepare the low penetration mixes of sheet asphalt or the like which are sometimes required by paying specifications. I

The present inventioncomprises, briefly, a IIII'thGDPIOCGSSlIIg of the mlxtureof asphalt cement and aggregate by incorporating therewith a small percentage of an ameliorating agent such as water or light oil, such as additional fresh oil, which acts upon the mix to produce What I term a condition of uniform un-uniformityi As nearly as can be ascertained, the production. of this condition isdependent upon the combined abrading effect of the particles of the aggregate and upon the slight solubility or miscibility of the asphalt cement in or with the ameliorating agent. This processing step may be accomplishedeither'by adding the ameliorating agent to the mix while it is still inthe mixer, or'material which has previously been IDIXGd'aHd'StOIGd 1n a pile may be again 7 passed through a mixer, preferably of the ing agent therewith.

Such processlng may be accomplished in a' pug-mill type,to incorporate the amelioratvery short time, for example by continuing thermixing for about two minutes after the ameliorating agent is added, and the processing is complete when the mix-loses its dark or blacklustre and takes on a light brown color. At this time each individual particle of the aggregate appears to be more or less uniformly coated with bitumen, but the coating on some particles is much thinner than that on others and these variably-coated particles are uniformly distributed throughout the mix;-.hence the term .uniform un-uniformity. It is believed that the thinly coated particles act toprevent any adhesion of the other and more heavily coated particles, thus ensuring aid 1etemi a oflife and preventing' any lumping which "under certain conditionsmightotherwise tend to occur.

c The amounts of p p p p are necessary to be used are relatively small,

representingonly about 3% to-5% by weight of the mix. I realize that the admixt'urefof ameliorating agent which both wateriand oil with mixesv of the hot mix typehas been heretofore suggested, but such practices have; been for the purpose of: either hardeningthehot-mix asphalt cement to, pre vent adhesion of the particles of the aggregate, or for converting the asphalt ce- 4 ment intoman emulsion or cuteback. '1 0b viously such actionfis not contemplated and does not occur in the present invention, since the, aaneliorating agent may, with substantiallyequal efiectiveness, be incorporated af-' ter themixis cold, andthe small amounts thereof used and the shortness ofthe-mixing required indicate that the favorable action is due neither to the formation ofan emulsion with or tothe cutting-back ofthe asphalt cement.- r 7 Since certain changes in carrying out the above process, and'certain' modifications in I the composition which ,embodythe invention may be made without departing from its scope, it is intended that-all matter contained in the above description shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to coverall of the I generic and specific features of the invention herein described, andall statements of the scope of theiinvention which, as amatter of language, might be said to fall therebetween, Having, describedmy invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

ing -mixture which, includes preparing an asphalt cement by 'fiuxlng a. hard asphalt having a penetratlon notsubstantially in ex cess of 4 at F., 100 grams, 5 seconds, with an. oilcontaining a vsubstantial percentage of light volatiles, mixing the said asphalt cement with a mineral aggregate'and there: after treating the mixture ,by adding thereto an'ameliorating agent and mixing until a light brown colorof the mixture is obtained.

2. A process of making a cold-lay? .pav ing mixture which includes preparing an asphalt cement by fluxing-a hard asphalt having a penetration not substantially in excess of 4 at 115 F., 100 grams, seconds, with a 1 fresh oil containing a substantial percentage of light volatiles, mixing the said asphalt cement with amineral aggregate and thereafter treating the mixture by adding thereto an ameliorating agent and mixing until a light brown color of the mixture is obtained.

3. A process of making a cold-lay paving mixture which includes preparing an asphalt cement by fluxing a hard'native asphalt having a penetration not substantially in excess of 4 at 115 F., 100 grams, 5 seconds, with a fresh oil containing a substantial percentage of light volatiles, mixing the said asphalt cement with a mineral aggregate and thereafter treating the mixture by adding v thereto an ameliorating agent and mixing until a light brown color of the mixture is I of 4 at 115 7 4 I u n substantial percentage of llght volatiles, mlxobtained.

4.. A processof making a cold-lay pavmg mixture which includes preparing an asphalt cement by fluxing a hard asphalt havinga penetration not substantially in excess F., 100 grams, 5 seconds, with a slightly topped fresh oil containing a ing'the said asphalt cement with a mineral aggregate and thereafter treating the mixture by adding-thereto an ameliorating agent and mixing until a light brown color of the mixture is obtained. 7

5. A process of making a cold-lay paving I mixture which includes preparing an asphalt cement by fluxing a hard asphalt having a penetration not substantially in excess of 4 I at 115 F., 100 grams, 5 seconds, with a fresh oil containing a substantial percentage of light'volatiles, mixing thesaid asphalt cement with a mineral aggregate and thereaft or treating the mixture by adding thereto from 3 to 5 percent of water and mixing until v a light browncolor of the mixture is ob- V, tained.

ing a penetration not substantially ing temperature, and" thereafter testing the mixture by adding thereto an ameliorating agent and mixing until a light brown color of the mixture is obtained.

7 A process of making'a cold-lay paving'mixture which includes preparing an asphalt cement by fluxing a hard asphalt havmg a penetration not substantially in excess fresh oil of 4 at 115 F., 100 grams, 5 seconds, with a containing a substantial percentage of light volatiles, mixing the said asphalt cement with a mineral aggregate and thereof 4 at 115 containing a substantial percenta temperature of' after treating the mixture by adding thereto from 3 to 5 percent of water in the mixer and continuing the mixing until a light brown color of the mixtureis obtained. 7

8. A process of making a cold-lay paving mixture which includes preparing an asphalt cement by fluxing a hard asphalt having a penetration not substantially in excess of 4 at 115 F, 100 grams, fresh oil containing a substantial percentage of light volatiles, mixing the said asphalt cement with a mineral aggregate, allowing the mixture to cool and thereafter treating the mixture by adding thereto from 3 to 5 percent of Water and mixing in a pug mill until a light brown color of the mixture is obtained. 1

9. An artificially prepared composition of matter of substantially uniform consistency and having the properties of natural rockasphalt, which is prepared from a hard native asphalt having a penetration not substantially in excess of 4 at 115 F., 100 grams, 5 seconds, a fresh oil flux containing a substantial percentage of light volatiles, a min eral aggregate, and .an admixture of an ameliorating agent in an amount of from 3% to 5%.

10. A ing mixture which includes preparing an asphalt cement by fluxing a hard asphalt having a penetration not substantially in excess F., 100 grams, 5 seconds, with a fresh oil containing a substantial percentge of light volatiles, mixing the said asphalt cement with a mmeral aggregate and thereafter treating the mixture by adding thereto asmall amount of water in the mixer and continuing the mixing until a light brown color of the mixture is obtained.

In testimony whereof I affixmy signature.

OSCAR H. BERGER.-

5 seconds, with a process of making a cold-laypav- 

